5G and mobile network developments— Emerging issues
Other 5G technological enablers
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- Security and reliability
- Six 5G use cases
- Use case 1: The Internet of Things (IoT)
- Use case 2: Rich communication services
- Use case 3: Augmented reality and the tactile internet
- Use case 4: Vertical industries use cases
- Use case 5: Ultra-reliable and lifeline communications
- Use case 6: Mobile broadband access everywhere
Other 5G technological enablersOther technological enablers of 5G relate to more than one of the three options for improving network capacity. These enablers include devices and technological developments to support and protect privacy and ensure reliability. Developments in devicesDevice-to-device (D2D) communication arrangements exist in upgrades to 4G networks, but are expected to be an integral part of the 5G network architecture solution. In direct D2D communication, devices under the control of the network operator are able to share connectivity and exchange data and content, making them both terminals and part of a configurable network infrastructure.64 D2D communications may be embedded in the 5G network architecture to support: ultra-low latency services65 extension of coverage through the use of devices as relays66 assistance with network capacity and energy consumption by playing a role in backhaul and confining traffic to the local area instead of drawing on network resources over a larger area.67
There is tension between ensuring security and reliability at acceptable levels and supporting flexibility in network management and encouraging the development of new business models. Technical hurdles remain in structuring 5G networks to deliver both security and flexibility to network operators. Invitation to comment: 9.Are there any additional significant enablers or major inhibitors to 5G network deployment in Australia that are not identified in this paper? Six 5G use casesWhen consumer and business demand for mobile services drive increases in mobile data traffic, network owners respond by deploying one or a combination of network improvements, such as more efficient use of spectrum, depending on what option(s) is(are) more commercially attractive. The enhanced mobile network can then support enhanced services. Industry analysts, vendors and international mobile organisations have developed a range of detailed examples of how 5G technology could be used which illustrate specific advantages— ‘use cases’—based on the projected characteristics of 5G networks. Demand drivers for mobile services and the technological enablers of 5G networks are the building blocks for the identification of 5G use cases. This chapter provides a brief overview of six use cases that outline the developments made possible by proposed 5G network characteristics. Each use case includes mention of individual demand drivers that relate to that example. A table at the start of each use case indicates which of the three consumer and two business demand drivers discussed earlier are relevant to that particular use case. The six cases are not an exhaustive list. It is expected that 5G will have the flexibility to adapt and accommodate a wide diversity of use cases, many as yet unidentified.
Note: IoT specific drivers highlighted in blue. The IoT can be understood as the aggregation of many M2M connections. It is not limited to communications, but includes big data analysis, cloud computing and sensors and actuators that in combination can efficiently run autonomous machines and intelligent systems.68 As the ACMA has noted previously, the IoT will allow an increasing number and diversity of things to be connected and support a range of rich and meaningful information and data to be sent and received (and analysed), generating increased productivity as well as introducing enhanced and new services.69 The ITU defines the IoT as a global infrastructure for the information society, enabling advanced service by interconnecting (physical and virtual) things based on existing and evolving interoperable information and communication technologies.70 The definition of the IoT is expected to evolve as the IoT becomes increasingly sophisticated and embedded into everyday lives. Research analyst group IDC estimates that the worldwide IoT market will increase 133 per cent to $3.04 trillion in 2020, while the number of IoT connected units will reach approximately 30 billion.71 Examples of current IoT services include freight tracking and logistics management using radio-frequency identification (RFID), monitoring and automation of lighting and energy in buildings, smart grids and meters in the energy industry, smart agriculture applications to track livestock and crop state, and smart wearables. Emerging applications include smart home services to let people control home appliances remotely or automate housework via communications with home devices and smart city infrastructure in response to massive urbanisation. The IoT at a large scale requires a number of characteristics that can be provided by 5G: Device connectivity: serving a huge increase in the number of devices connected to wireless networks. If the number of IoT connected units reaches the predicted 30 billion,72 for example, they are likely to significantly exceed the number of traditional mobile network connections such as smartphones, tablets and computers.73 Energy efficiency: The massive increase in connected devices making up a fully formed IoT is likely to require better energy efficiencies than currently possible, with some mobile broadband devices required to be on all the time while others will turn on intermittently. These energy efficiency needs could be supported by two 5G characteristics: support for up to 10-year battery life for low power machine-type devices and 90 per cent reduction in network energy usage. Always on: some potential IoT services will require ultra-reliability and availability, such as healthcare and automotive functions, where an outage in service availability could have life-threatening effects. The highly scalable and contextual proposed nature of 5G networks could support the diversity of IoT applications with differing requirements for pricing, mobility, latency, network reliability and resilience.74 Use case 2: Rich communication services11.Drivers relevant to the rich communication services use case
Note: Rich communications services specific demand drivers highlighted in blue. Rich communications services refers to the next generation of communications designed to meet the needs and expectations of consumers who are increasingly turning to OTT services and online video both at work and for entertainment. Consumer and, to some extent, industry demand for enhancements in this category of services will require improvements to mobile networks. These services range from personalised and interactive entertainment services through to support for the virtual office. Examples include: Optimised media delivery services that meet the different usage patterns for content consumption in different contexts75 such as provision of real-time ultra-high-definition content streaming for watching concerts and sporting events from multiple angles. This includes the challenging task of delivering these services in ultra-dense user environments such as popular sporting events. Transference and delivery of ultra-high resolution images such as 4K-UHD (four times the resolution of Full-HD) and 8K-UHD (16 times the resolution), expanding to 3D imaging and hologram services over time.76 Delivery of cloud gaming and video streaming on smartphones and tablets everywhere, including in high mobility environments such as trains, cars and planes. Enhancements to working across locations that are enabled by the capacity to share ultra-high resolution images and video in real-time. While existing 4G technology is currently capable of supporting both multi-person video calling and the high bandwidth data networks needed to draw on data stored in the cloud77, rich communications services will support higher resolution images and be available in high mobility environments, facilitating knowledge sharing and collaboration anywhere and at any time. 5G characteristics that will enable rich communications services include:
5G networks are expected to offer the data rates and capacity needed to support both uplink and download of video rich services over wireless networks. Use case 3: Augmented reality and the tactile internet12.Drivers relevant to the augmented reality and tactile internet services use case
Note: Augmented reality and tactile internet specific demand drivers highlighted in blue. Augmented reality and the tactile internet are developments which are expected to support potential new and enhanced services across industry sectors including health and automotive, as well as the next steps in immersive gaming and entertainment services. Augmented reality refers to the integration of digital information with a video stream or user’s environment in real time. It is expected to have applications in gaming and entertainment, but could also have practical applications in industry. For example, there are many potential applications of augmented reality in the mining industry. Improvements in network capability could support a remote operator of heavy machinery to access richer contextual information in real-time such as terrain information, impending weather, vehicle-related data, approaching vehicles and hazards and the layout of property boundaries and utility lines.78 The tactile internet refers to a system where humans will wirelessly interact with and control real and virtual objects, in such a way that the user interacting with the environment does not perceive any difference between local and remote content. This will typically involve a tactile (involving the sense of touch) control signal and audio and/or visual feedback.79 For example, a user could wear an exoskeleton connected wirelessly that would enable physical therapy sessions without being in the same location as the physiotherapist.80 Other potential applications include remote surgery, remote driving and flying of unmanned vehicles, and remote augmented reality.81 5G characteristics that will facilitate augmented reality and the tactile internet include:
Independent of 5G capabilities, there are other technological developments required before the potential use of augmented reality and the tactile internet could become a reality, such as further developments in motion sensors and heads up display.84 Use case 4: Vertical industries use cases13.Drivers relevant to the vertical industry sectors use case
Note: Vertical industry sectors specific demand drivers highlighted in blue. The vertical industries use case recognises the potential for mobile network developments to improve productivity and introduce new or enhanced services across a number of specific industry sectors. Examples of value creation for vertical industry sectors in mobile network developments include: Healthcare. There are several elements of consumer health that could be improved through the implementation of connected trackers and monitors. Example applications include: Remote access to medical care. Individuals in remote areas may have very limited access to medical specialists. Providing the ability for medical specialists to perform surgery remotely could bring significant benefits. Monitoring. Health monitors for the unwell could allow patients to recover in the home.85
Infotainment. Real-time information provided through connected devices including augmented reality dashboards. Traffic. monitors on cars and transport links will provide a more detailed understanding of traffic flows, and may enable real-time changes to traffic (such as traffic lights, changing direction of lanes) to improve traffic flows immediately and long-term.86 Reducing accidents. If all cars have monitors tracking location, speed, and other environmental factors, the number of accidents may be reduced.87 While some of these applications are already supported by current 4G LTE networks, such as videoconference healthcare consultations and performance monitors on car parts, 5G networks are expected to help make these types of services more widely available. 5G characteristics that will support the vertical industries use case, include: Bandwidth and device connections: to support high data volumes and service an increase in the number of devices connected to wireless networks, such as health monitors, consumer devices, traffic monitors and sensors. Ultra-low latency: for applications such as remote surgery and driverless cars. Always on connectivity: with ultra-high reliability requirements for remote surgery and patient care and monitoring, as well as driverless cars and traffic monitoring. 100 per cent geographical coverage is also required to support an intelligent traffic monitoring and management system and driverless cars, and to ensure new remote healthcare services are available across metropolitan, regional and remote locations. Use case 5: Ultra-reliable and lifeline communications14.Drivers relevant to the ultra-reliable and lifeline communications use case
Note: Ultra-reliable and lifeline communications specific demand drivers highlighted in blue. The ultra-reliable and lifeline communications use case refers to the next generation of public safety and disaster management communications services. In the future, disaster and safety communications are expected to evolve from largely voice and text based systems into an enhanced service that uses big-data driven real-time intelligence, more precise location information and real-time video.88 This type of communications system could boost the capability of public safety organisations to coordinate operations and respond quickly and safely to locate and recover victims affected by natural disasters and other events. 5G characteristics that could support the ultra-reliable and lifeline communications use case include:
It is expected that these requirements would be natively supported by 5G infrastructure configured to support ultra-high reliability and scalability to respond to sudden demands for increased network capacity.89 Use case 6: Mobile broadband access everywhere15.Demand drivers relevant to the mobile broadband access everywhere use case
Note: Mobile broadband access everywhere specific demand drivers highlighted in blue. The mobile broadband access everywhere use case aims to support connectivity in all locations and situations with the user experiencing no change in perceived quality of service. This includes high mobility situations where a user may be remotely working and interacting from a high speed train, vehicle or plane. Other examples include continuity of user experience both indoors and outdoors and in dense, high-traffic situations such as in concerts, sports stadiums or crowded public transport interchanges. Mobile broadband access everywhere is also a requirement for productivity-enhancing use cases such as increasingly sophisticated smart grid and smart metering solutions in the energy, water and gas utilities sectors.90 At the same time, the growth in the number of exclusively mobile customers suggests that some consumers will be increasingly relying only on the mobile network for communications and internet access, and so expect to have reliable access to that service. The 5G characteristic underpinning the mobile broadband access everywhere use case is: Always on connectivity: available everywhere (100 per cent coverage) and at all times (99.999 per cent of the time). While theoretically, mobile broadband access everywhere could be achieved using current network technologies, this has not been economically viable for network operators. Therefore 5G is expected to be capable of deployment under very low cost conditions, using ultra-low cost network infrastructures, ultra-low cost devices and ultra-low cost operation and maintenance.91 To achieve this, some industry groups have noted that 5G may support varying data rates in different geographical areas. One estimate is that 5G will provide minimum data rates of several 100Mbps for users in urban and suburban areas, and rates of several 10Mbps everywhere else, including sparsely-populated rural areas in both developed and developing countries.92 Directory: media -> Research%20and%20Analysis -> Information Information -> Mobile telecommunications infrastructure Research%20and%20Analysis -> Communications report 2011–12 series Report 3—Smartphones and tablets Research%20and%20Analysis -> Report 3—The emerging mobile telecommunications service market in Australia Research%20and%20Analysis -> Communications report 2011–12 series Report 1—Online video content services in Australia Information -> Chapter 1 Broadband services Research%20and%20Analysis -> Communications report 2013–14 series Report 2— The evolution of Voip in Australia June 2015 Canberra Research%20and%20Analysis -> Communications report 2011–12 series Report 3—Smartphones and tablets Download 191.31 Kb. Share with your friends:
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